Electric-lighting apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. 0. FERGUSON.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS. No. 351,369. Patented'Oot. 26, 1886.

MTNEEEEE (No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. 0. FERGUSON.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS No. 351,369. Patented Oct. 26, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR C. FERGUSON, OF SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC-LIGHTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming pan: of Letters Patent. No. 351,369, dated October 26, 1886.

(No model.)

'To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ARTHUR O. FERGUSON, a resident of Saratoga Springs,in the county of Saratoga and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Lighting Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and etc act description of the invention,that will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

My invention relates to improvements in electric-lighting apparatus, and is an improvement upon the apparatus shown in United States Letters Patent No. 334,366, issued to me January 12, 1886.

The object of this invention is to obtain aseries of flash-lights between carbon or other electrodes automatically selected from grouped pairs of electrodes to produce a succession of lights in lines corresponding to the outlines of letters and figures or other designs.

Myinvention consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a sectional edge View of the electrode-supporting plates, taken at the broken line a: .r in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the automatic circuit-breaker. Fig. 3 is a face View, in side elevation, of one of the electrode-supporting plates. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 show different designs produced by the flashes of light. Fig. 7 is a plan View of the electrodes and the-support D,employed in con nection with the automatic circuit-breaker, showing their connection with the magnets acting to break the light-producing circuit. Fig. 8 is an edge view of the support D and electrodes. Fig. 9 is a plan view of one of the interchangeable electrode selectonplates. Fig. 10 is a side view of same.

' The metallic plates A and B are. insulated from each other, one supporting the positive electrodes and the other the negative electrodes, a and b. The electrodes are preferably carbon pencils supportedin sockets, one or both of the members of each pair of sockets being pivoted to its supporting-plate, kept out of contact,when not use, by springs S or gravity.

The electric current employed to produce the light may be supplied by a battery or dynaino, D, one pole of which is connected by a conductor, L, with plate 13, and the other pole by conductor L with plate A. By bringing the members of a pair of electrodes to and b into contact a current of electricity will be tablished through the same, and by breaking the contact the current will be cut off and a spark or flash of light will be visible between the two electrodes. If, therefore, I quickly and successively make and break the circuit of a selected number of pairs in the group shown in Fig. 3, I shall be able to produce a line of light that will correspond with the line occupied by the selected pairsas, for example,

' that shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, or

those shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

To make the circuit, I employ the electromagnets m-one for each pair of electrodes (4 and b. The lever which supports the electrodes I) is shown pivoted at P to the plate B, and is in electrical contact therewith. One end of the lever supports the electrode 1), and is in an electrical contact therewith, and the other end acts as an armature for the magnet m. A current of electricity passing through the magnet will act to attract the armature, and when of sufficient force will move the armature'and bring the electrodes a and 1) into contact. Each magnet m is connected by a'conductor, W, with an electrode, 6, supported by the plate D, whichis preferably some nonconducting material, whereby the electrodes 6 are insulated from each other. The conductors \V may be fine insulated wires collected together into a cable, G,and extend over a long distance.

The clips E are adapted to receive and support the electrode selector frame or plate F, which is also made of some non-conducting substance, and provided with the conducting points or pins f, preferably made to pass through the plate F and project on the upper and lower side. The points f are so arranged that when the selector-plate is slid into the clips E against a suitable stop, as E, the upwardly-projecting points will come into elec- I have shown a conductor, H, passing from the main conductor L to a rotary shaft, I I, electrically connected therewith by a sleeve,

' J. The shaft is electrically connected with and supports the disk or arms G, carryin g a breaker, 9, adapted to come into electrical contact with each one of the points f successively at each rotation of the shaft. The shunted current contact with theproper electrodes, 6, to select and operate through magnets m7 another group of light-giving, electrodes.

By employing long conductors WVthe changes of letters, figures, or designs can be accom- What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1-. A group of light-giving electrodes, in combination with automatic mechanism, substantially as described, for making and breaking electrical contact of the electrodes, and an interchangeable electrode selector-plate, substantially as described, for the purpose of arbitrarily selecting the electrodes to be acted upon by the light-giving electrical current.

2. A group or series of light-giving electrodes arranged in pairs, one member of each pair being. pivoted and provided with an armature, in combination with an electro-magnet for operating said pivoted member to make and breakelectrical contact between the members of the individual pairs, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

.In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of February, 1886.

ARTHUR O. FERGUSON. Witnesses: Gno. A. MOSHER, W. H. HOLLISTER, Jr. 

